


The Only Moment We were Alone

by sweettoothdinosaur



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Not Beta Read, first chapter isnt fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-03-29 08:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13923639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweettoothdinosaur/pseuds/sweettoothdinosaur
Summary: Max moved to the north coast. There, he meets a boy by the lighthouse. From there, he realizes that his new home is filled with secrets and unimaginable occurrences that he could never explain.





	1. Cliffs

**Author's Note:**

> i honestly dont know what im doing and im so tired of many things right now

This was supposed to be a new way of starting over. New town, new faces. However, the move wasn't actually cut out to be all that great. Instead of moving to some mansion dream paradise, the Puckett family moved to an old town that was probably full of sick and dying elderly.

At least, that's how Max saw it.

Through the car window, there was nothing but blank fog. It was impossible to see any trace of sunlight from above. He avoided from looking downwards. His dad was driving through the winding cliffs of the coast. Despite the bleak weather, Mr. Puckett was blasting loud music in the car. That way, it wouldn't be torture to drive in the dead silence.

"Can't wait to check out that cheese factory once we move here." Mr. Puckett said with a smile.

"Thank god that place was closed." Max uttered under his breath, looking out the window.

"Dad, that wasn't a factory. It's literally a farm with cows." A younger girl said from the back seat.

"Either way, it had cheese." He replied. Then he switched the subject over. "You liking this place so far, you two?"

"Too much fog." Zoey answered.

"Oh yes, I would love to be attacked by a swarm of seagulls every morning." His son gritted his teeth.

"Oh c'mon Max, I have the right gear to protect you from a flock of seagulls." He said. After a few moments of silence, he rolled down the car windows. In result, a great gust of cold air and dew blew throughout the vehicle.

"Dad! _No!_ " Max tried to roll up all the windows back. Meanwhile, his dad somehow untied his hair and let the wind blow it back. The brunette then yelled at him, "This is no time to be as free as the wind! Jesus!"

After that mess was over, the car was cold again. Mr. Puckett had a smile on his face and his two children were giving him the look.

"Max, please learn how to drive soon." Zoey stated.

After getting lost a couple of times, the family reached their destination. Specifically, their new house. The paint was peeling and chipped. Everything about the structure looked weathered and almost appeared that it could give out at any moment. All of the windows were stained with water and tinted with old colors. Some parts of the grassy area were either withered or grew too long.

"Why did you choose _this_ house?" Max said blankly. " _Just..._ Why?!"

"Insurance companies." He shrugged and looked at his two kids. "Anyways, think of all the possible ways that we could fix up this old home and make it something better."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Max folded his arms.

"It'll be our home again." Mr. Puckett placed his hands on both of the kids' shoulder. "We just have to take tiny steps."

Max looked out into the distance. There was nothing but the mist from miles away. He slowly walked away from his dad's hand and went to the trunk of the family car.  
"I'm going to take a walk right now." He said, fishing for a jacket from the piles of clothing.

"Aren't you going to help clean the house?" His dad whined.

"Yeah, well... You said that I needed to get used to this place, so might as well start right now." He quickly said before running off.

"They get make an attempt towards positive life skills." Mr. Puckett sighed, wiping away a fake tear. He then turned to Zoey. "I guess that leaves you and me to clean this place up." 

"Uh... I'm going to do what Max just did." She quickly ran off.

"Wow, I'm such a great parent." He proudly places both of his hands above his waist. Then, the single father looked at in both directions. Rubbing his chin, he thought hard. "Wait. Something's not right here..."

Slowing down from a jog, Max grabbed ahold of a nearby rock and quickly inhaled and exhaled. Resting for few moments, he looked around to see his new surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the sound of waves crashing from the distance. However, it was closer this time. He could hear the coast clearly. The water roared, tearing itself with each coming wave.

Finding himself near the ocean, he noticed the parking lot. It was empty on that foggy afternoon. Walking away from the rocks, Max stepped towards the wooden fences. From there, he saw that he was at the cliff's drop off. Along it was a set of stairs made from the earth. It led to the dark sands and tide pools of the ocean.The waves crashed against the large rocks.

However, the whole scenery wasn't exactly that sunny day beach. Instead, it was cold, bleak, and wet. THere was no comfort in the coastal place. But that didn't mean it was "uncomfortable." Max watched the waves attempt to take over the sandy bottom. As the water level continued to increase, his eyes fixated on the deep color of the water. His eyes saw grayscale in this new environment. There wasn't much saturation within anything in sight. The rocks and water were dark while the air and sand looked bright and colorless.

Suddenly, he could hear footsteps against the hard asphalt. Turing his head quickly, he saw that there was only a seagull directly staring into his eyes. Closing his eyes, Max shook his head and got up. In result, the bird flew off. Looking around, Max tried to find another way to kill time. However, he only saw the desolate setting. There wasn't a single soul in sight and all the animals kept quiet from his presence.

He sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. THere wasn't anything for him to do. He knew that the nearest gas station would be miles away. He would never be prepared to walk that far. Scanning his surroundings, he tried to remember the direction he came from. Thinking back, he remembered the rocks where he caught his breath.

While strolling over there, he turned slowly to observe the entire parking lot. There was nothing but a thick fog and the sound of roaring waters from below. Stuck in thoughts, he looked back while walking. Without warning, he bumped into another person.

How did he know this? Because the other person yelped and accidentally fell back with a thud.

"Watch where you're going!" The other voice said.

"Well, I wasn't watching where I was going." Max pointed to the other person. "Maybe you should have watched where I was going."

A pair of bright blue eyes glared back. "And you're one of the only stupid people I've met so far in this place."

"Right back at you." The brunette hid a smug smile. After a moment, he started to make out the details of the other person sitting on the ground. His ginger hair contrasted from the bleak coast and the color of his eyes. He looked pale from the cold weather, but his cheeks were warm with a red color. The attire that he had was worn and old, blending with the dull surroundings.

Still on the ground, the other teenager was wiping his hands on his jeans. A hand was then held in front of him. The redness from his cheeks didn't fade away as he made eye contact with the standing stranger. His cold and dirtied hands grabbed ahold of Max's as he was lifted from the ground.

"Well, I actually know a lot of stupid people here... But you're definitely a new face." He said, letting go of his hand.

"And you're probably the first stupid person that I've met here." Max rolled his eyes at him. "Thall will make you feel special."

"Yeah, whatever." The stranger looked away, dusting off his jeans. "...So, you just moved here?"

"Does it really look like I'm your local grandpa?" Sarcasm was written all over that sentence.

"Just trying to start a conversation."

"Not working for me." Max shrugged.

"Fine." The other boy groaned. "Hello, my name is Isaac."

"Wow, that's so basic!" He said in a mocking voice and laughed a bit. Looking back at the other person, he noticed the irritated look on his face. "Anyways, I'm Max."

"I'm going to assume that you moved here, then." Isaac responded.

"Well, I could just be a visitor." He said.

"Visiting hours are closed right now." The ginger folded his arms and gave him a side smirk. "Plus, I heard that a family recently moved into one of the old homes here."

"Are you stalking me or something?" He asked, annoyed.

Isaac held the sleeve of his jacket, looking back at the waves' direction. "No, I was just curious. Most of the people I know live in the town nearby and we're neighbors."

"But I didn't see any other houses when my dad was driving here." The brunette furrowed his brow.

"I, uh... live at the lighthouse." He replied. "Not very close to anyone because of distance and stuff. I got really got a bit excited to see someone new here. Seeing that you're ridiculously sarcastic, I might have to change my mind."

"Well Isaac, it was nice to meet you and everything... But I probably need to help out my dad before he uses grape juice to clean the floor." Max declared as he began to run the other direction. However, he nearly bumped into his sister.

"Zoey! What are you doing here?" He asked the younger girl.

"Avoiding chores and cleaning up." She answered blankly, staring at him. "That's what you're doing right now."

"Okay, fair point." He nodded at her. Peering over his shoulder, Zoey looked to see Isaac standing awkwardly.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"Random stranger." The older sibling said.

"Actually, neighbor!" The ginger called out. 

"What's his name?" Zoey continued her questions.

"Nobody." Max said.

"It's Isaac!" The older teenager said. Then, the redhead girl looked back and forth at both him and her older brother.

"Hey, Isaac! Can you be friends with my brother? He's lonely and I'll give you his number." Zoey shouted at him. A look of dread washed over Max's face as he gave her a look of disappointment. However, Isaac definitely seemed a lot happier and ran towards her.

"So, you're Max's younger sister?" He asked, walking to where they were standing.

"Yep." She said, reaching into her back pocket. "Do you know anything to do around here? Because I want to keep my sanity."

"Well, we could all go tidepooling tomorrow. And I kind of have a boat." He offered.

"Good enough." Zoey handed him a piece of paper and waved back at him. While dragging her older brother away, she looked him. "You should be thanking me, you know."

"I'm not interested in getting new friends." Max sighed, not looking back at her.

"I'm guessing you got off to a bad start." She said.

"Probably... Definitely." He admitted.

"I thought so." Zoey rolled her eyes at him. "I think that he's okay. Plus, he's got a boat. 

"What the hell is so great about a boat!" Max twitched his eye. " _Oh look at me! I have an expensive yacht and eat fish every day!_ "

"There's plenty to do here, I just know it." She ignored the brunette. "So, you might as well let Isaac into your life."

"Fine, I'll let him just hang around. But don't expect me to treat him like a holy being." He sighed.

"We get it. You're going to be sarcastic around him." She rolled her head at him. "You always do that to everyone."

"It's not that I don't trust him, but he kinda had a weird vibe to him." His hands moved the pocket of his hoodie.

"I think that _'weird vibe'_ is you going through teenage feelings." She did a fake gasped. 

"I don't exactly fall in love, Zoey." Max said a-matter-of-factly. "I fall asleep." 

"And maybe you'll wake up with a true love's kiss." The redhead grinned widely as she ran into the house.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to get me to fall in love!" He replied back, following her into their new house.


	2. Roof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im too scared to put this up on tumblr in fear of zack seeing my aesthetic shipping writing

Like any other teenager during the summer, Max peacefully slept in. He was buried by many blankets and comforters, knowing that the north coast would be a lot colder than the south. The house's air was still. The temperature wouldn't go up any further because heaters didn't exist in a remote residence. At least, it's considered to be a residence since Mr. Puckett decided to move his family there.

Either way, Max didn't want to move away from the warmth of his bed. Even his dad would agree. Stepping onto the freezing, hardwood floors was a risk. Therefore, Mr. Puckett was fine with his kids sleeping in. It was to avoid the cruel, cruel world of cold mornings.

One of the only things that probably got Max out of bed was coffee. Or the pressure of being late to school. But coffee could only get him out of bed now. School wouldn't begin until late August.

Unfortunately, there was no coffee.

Instead, there was a creak. Then, a yelp. Soon enough, an extra weight on top of the blanket layers he made. The sound freaked him out, but he wanted to remain buried in the sheets. However, feeling something besides the weight of sheets, he slowly rose from the pillow.

Right now, he was face to face with the same boy from yesterday. One part of him wanted to brush him off, but the sleepy part of his brain thought this was some ridiculous dream.

Not even a split second afterward, realization rushed through his body. His droopy eyes went wide, the corners of his lips tugged into an exaggerated pout. Eyebrows lowered in confusion and concern.

Looking up, he saw that the attic window was rocking up and down. Lowering his head, the brunette saw that Isaac luckily landed on top of the blanket mountain. His eyes were shocked, maybe even scared. Except, some sort of jittery excitement came from him. 

An awkward smile crept from the corner of his lips. "S-surprise...?" 

A moment passed before Max began to yell at him. "What the hell?! Did you just break into my room?! _Already?!_ It's too early!"

"Excuse me, but I didn't break into your room. Neither did I break your window." The ginger gave him an annoyed look His finger point at the roof. "I think your window is already broken." 

"That doesn't explain why you decided to _invite yourself_ over!" He hissed, raising his hands at the other boy. _“Especially through the roof.”_

"I knocked, but no one answered. Plus, it's like ten _in the morning._ " Isaac folded his arms, giving a look at him. Then his eyes drifted away from the other teenager. The color of his irises seemed clearer as he gazed around the room. "You sleep in the attic?"

"Don't try to change the subject!" He retorted, pulling the covers towards himself. "Why do you care?"

"Your room just looks really cool." The older teenager shrugged, letting himself wander around the room.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Max's eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, I seriously mean it." Isaac sat on an old desk. "I like abandoned places that get weathered away by nature."

" _Whether_ that's your aesthetic or not, I'm not interested in listening to you today." The brunette rolled over, burying himself in the sheets. The other boy gave him a disapproving look. _Whether_ it was the use of _"weather"_ or Max going back to sleep, the ginger was not amused at all.

Without hesitation, he brutally yanked the blankets off. As a result of this, Max rolled off his bed with a shocked expression on his face. Isaac walked over to him, kneeling on the ground with a satisfied smirk.

"Get up, we're going tidepooling." He whispered with amusement in his voice. "I suggest you bring some rainboots with you."

"That's _not_ even a real word, you idiot." Max groaned in disgust.

* * *

 It was a cold and cloudy morning. It wouldn’t make sense for people to even wake up for a morning run. But somehow, Max found himself walking to the parking lot with his sister. Meanwhile, Isaac was ahead of the siblings and decided to be the guide of their tour. He helped them climbed down from the rocky stairs to the tidal rocks.

At this point in time, the sun began to rise and the coast was a lot less foggy. Out on the wet beach, they stood and wondered to do next. There was nothing but the sound of crashing waves and gulls screeching. Allowing Isaac to lead the way, they went out to the rocky shoreline.

There was an abundance of life within the tidepools everywhere. Shells and mussels clung tightly to the rocks.The sea anemones would either be covered in sand or sticking to the large rocks. Meanwhile, others would freely bloom in the small pools of water. Their colors stood out, either a light green or a fuschia hue.

For other small creatures, the crabs and chiton would hide away from them. If they were lucky, there would be tiny fish and sea cucumbers in the deeper pools. For now, they had an easy time finding a wide variety of starfishes.

"You can touch the starfishes if you'd like, just make sure you leave them where they are." The older teenager explained pointing out bat star that latched onto a rock.  
"Really?" Zoey reached out to put a finger on the webbed starfish. "I didn't know we could touch them."

"Well, you can. But you're less likely to be convicted if you have a docent or someone who's trained to learn about this." He said, turning his gaze to Max. "You having a good time yet?"

"It's cold and everything's wet." Max shouted him, staying in his one place at the large rocks.

"Don't listen to him, he loves it." His sister whispered.

"Don't listen to whatever she says!" He called out at both of them. The younger girl rolled her eyes, returning her attention to the aquatic life.

"He probably heard me say _'love'_ or something." Zoey tried to stifle a laugh, but the older teenager gave her confused looks.

"What's so bad about that—" He attempted to ask, but Max interrupted him again.

“When will this be over?” His arm reached out towards a sandy rock.

“Max! Don’t do that—” Isaac began to rush over. However, it was too late. Multiple streams of salty water and sand grains hit Max’s face. He jumped from feeling the squishy sand on the rock and lost his balance when the anemones sprayed him.

There was a huge splash. Now, Isaac saw the brunette sitting in a pool of water with a grumpy look on his face. He couldn’t help but stifle his laughter. Rushing to the other teenagers, he helped him up from the pool of water.

Now standing, Max gave him an unamused look. His hands were gripping tightly into a hug as he shivered. His clothes were now soaked to the bone, clinging to his skin. Soon enough, he noticed that the other boy's teeth were beginning to chatter.

"Are you okay?" The ginger asked jokingly, but there was still some worry in his voice.

"What does it look like? I fell on my ass. Now, I'm wet and cold." Max glared at him. "And there’s probably sand in places where it doesn’t belong."

“Get used to the sand,” He shrugged casually. Then, he took a good look at his new neighbor and frowned. Stripping off his jacket, he held it out to the other teenager. "Here, take my jacket. You're going to get hypothermia if you—"

"It’s fine." Max breathed out, looking away. Slowly, he shifted his feet away from him. The water rippled as he tried to distance himself from Isaac.

Everything went silent, except for the sound of ocean waves in the far distance. Max’s face narrows. Taking in deep and heavy breaths, he noticed his sister from giving him various signals from the corner of his eye. A look of frustration was plastered on her face. Then, she shook her head at him.

With Isaac, he looked somewhat offended. His eyes blink frequently with each moment of silence. Biting his bottom lip, his expression went bitter. However, he chose to look up at the brunette with some concern. Although, it was obvious that he was confused about the situation.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Max let out a sigh. Shoving his hands into the tight pockets of his jeans, he regained his stance. Looking back at the ginger, he mouthed his words. “It’s fine. You and Zoey can go back up the cliffs.”

And with that, he quietly accepted the jacket from the other teenager. At that moment, Zoey quickly pulled the ginger away and led him towards the stairs that they came from.

With a frustrated sigh, Max immediately removed himself from the soaking wet jacket. Then, frantically changing into the dry one that Isaac wore.

Squeezing out the water from his old jacket, he looked to see that Isaac's back was turned back on the ocean. He sighed in relief to see that Zoey was trying to drag him up the cliff's stairs.

Now, his dark eyes stared down into the pool of water he stood in. All he could smell was the saline ocean that covered his body. _But there was something else..._ However, he pushed that thought into the back of his mind. He had been outside long enough. Weaving through the rocks, he made it to the beach. Letting out a breath exasperation, he forced himself to climb up the slippery stairs.

After what had seemed like forever, Max grabbed onto the wooden fencing. At the parking lot, they were waiting for him to walk. Because they got there earlier to take a break, they decided to start. After catching his breath, Max followed behind them.

The walk there was quiet. No one really said a word. It felt somewhat peaceful, but the timing was wrong. An awkward silence.

As much as Isaac wanted to speak up or lighten the mood, he could tell that both siblings didn't want to talk. Slowing his pace, he allowed Max's sister to walk ahead. But soon enough, he came to a stop, looking back at Max.

Waiting for the brunette to catch up, the older teenager gave him a concerned look. Overall, it was actually more upset than anything. Finally, when the taller teenager got there, Isaac fidgeted with the knuckles of his hands. "Er... sorry about this whole thing. I won't make you do anything you don't feel like doing—"

"Like I said, it's fine." Max shoved his hands into the jacket's pockets. He turned the other way. "I didn't mean for things to go this way."

"Today was just a bad day?" The older teenager shrugged.

"You can put it that way." He replied, looking at him. "Let's just forget whatever happened."

"Alright?" Isaac said, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "I guess that I'll see you some time?"

The brunette stared at the ground, thinking for a moment. Then, he looked back at the blue-eyed teenager. "I'll see you at some time, then. Maybe it'll be _better._ " 

The last part made the ginger light up. He couldn't help but smile at them. Looking, at the house in front of them, he nodded at his soaking wet neighbor. Without another word, the younger teenager was walking away from him. He didn't look back at the ginger, but Max knew that he was still wearing the jacket.

He held his hand up to wave goodbye, but he could hear the soft creak of the door. The older teenager brought his gaze to the house. He never expected anyone to move there. Now, someone lives there. Somehow, this made the coast less lonely. The thought caused his cheeks to become rosy with warmth.

In the back of his mind, Isaac couldn't help but wonder how many times he could fall from the attic window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> going to go on a pattern with updating this story then my izjo story


	3. Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i might have messed up the anatomy of the lighthouse, but this is fictional so.... uh.... it's all good

A few days passed by. Max refused to get out of the house. It was not out of distaste for his new home. But it was for the reason that his body was not familiar to the northern lifestyle. It was too slow and lazy. Also cold.

After getting soaked in freezing waters, he stayed in bed the entire time. Eventually, he began to feel unmotivated to step out of his room. He got texts from Isaac. Most of the messages asking questions asking how he was doing or if he still feels upset about the tidepooling incident. Already unmotivated to get out of bed, he wasn’t sure how to reply to these messages. Instead, he replied with short answers. It was better to say something rather than anything nothing. At least, that’s what he was advised by his father.

Soon, the texts stopped because there wasn’t much of a conversation in them. That, and the signal was terrible because of the elevation.

Suddenly, the door slammed against the wall. Not bothering to knock, Mr. Puckett carried a tray of breakfast to the room. “Hey… sleepyhead! How’s that cold treating you?”

“Dad, I didn’t even have a cold during these past few days.” Max stared down at the food presented in front of him.

His father stared at him blankly. A few cough drops slipped from his fingertips and fell into a glass of orange juice. “Well, I just assumed you got sick after your trip to the beach. And you stayed in your room because of that.”

“No, I meant—” He sighed, looking at his awkward man. Grabbing a pillow, the teenager threw it at his dad. “Okay— thanks for taking care of me for the past few days. I can get up now.”

“If you say so,” Mr. Puckett got up and nudged the breakfast tray on the bed. “But you need to eat before getting up.”

“Fine.” Max poked the eggs with his fork. His expression was filled with boredom at the sight of his food. It was nice that his dad stopped experimenting with flavors and adding random ingredients, but the flavor sometimes disappeared. Without much effort, he finished his breakfast and stared into his room.

His eyes lowered but never closed. His breathing was silent as he sat up against his pillows.

Then there was a knock from the front door. The brunette snapped back to reality and sat upright. Seeing that the tray was empty, he set it on the nightstand.

Soon enough, Mr. Puckett entered his room again and closed the door. “Hey Max, why didn’t you tell me that you’ve already made friends here?”

“Dad. I’ve _barely_ spent four hours with him.” Max protested.

“But… dogs don’t waste a second on making friends.” He took a gulp from the glass of orange juice.

“I am not having this conversation right now.” Max groaned, getting out of bed.

“Well, I’m just here to let you know that you should enjoy spending time here. It’s a great place.” The teenager was rummaging through his closet, looking for a jacket. His father took another sip of from the glass. “Give it a chance.”

Max sighed heavily in the dark closet as he pulled over a grey sweater. After that, he retrieved his baseball cap from the bedpost. Opening the door, his dad smiled to himself.

“See you later.” He shrugged as his dad followed him out of the room.

“You know Max, _‘see you later’_ doesn’t mean getting here after five minutes.” His dad pointed a finger at him.

“Alright. I get it dad.” His shoulders slumped as he reached for the front door.

“Have fun with your new friend!” He happily waved at him.

 _“Loose friends_.” The brunette raised his voice this time and tugged his cap down. Opening the door, he saw Isaac standing there. His mouth was open as if he were about to say something at that moment. However, he simply closed his mouth and gave the brunette a quick shrug and ‘hi.’

“Hey, how are things going since what happened—” He began.

“Look, I don’t really care about what happened last time.” Max interrupted him as he closed the door. “You live here, so I guess you’re the only one who’ll keep me sane.”

“What does that exactly mean?” Isaac’s brow furrowed.

“Let’s just do whatever is supposed be considered ‘fun’ here.” The taller boy began to walk away from the front porch of the house. He turned to look at his neighbor. “So, lead the way.”

“Oh, I do have something in mind. But it won’t be anywhere near water, I promise!” He hurried after Max.

“Isaac.”

“Yeah?”

“We literally live next to the ocean.”

“That’s not what I meant!” The ginger exclaimed. “Like it doesn’t involve getting wet in any sort of way— Augh! I didn’t mean to say that either!” He buried his face in his hands in frustration.

“Whatever, let’s just go do something that doesn’t involve walking down to the ocean.” Max nudged his elbow. Isaac looked up at him from his hands. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and looked off to the distance.

“Right. I have something to show you.” He looked away and began to take the lead. Their walk was silent for a little while, but the sound of crashing waves filled the emptiness between them.

“Like I said,” The brunette softly said. “I’m not mad about what happened a few days ago. I’m not really used to this place.”

“But you were kind of pissed.” He replied and received a flick from the younger teenager. He immediately turned around with an annoyed expression. “Hey! What was that for?!”

“Like I said, it’s no big deal.” Max rolled his eyes at him. Then, he leans towards the other boy. “Look, I don’t have signal or any other forms of stable communication on this cliff. And I can’t talk to my family all the time. So, you’re kind of the only person here to keep me sane. Just drop the awkward small talk and mumbling already.”

 _“Wow.”_ Isaac blinked at him. Then a sly smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “You kinda sound... desperate.”

“Just take me somewhere already. You’re the one who probably never had neighbors.” Max closed his eyes, sighing. The other boy nodded and continued walking. After half an hour, the brunette began to question where they were headed.

“It’s just a bit further.” He replied.

“Does that mean we’re going to to have to walk back?” Max groaned.

“Not exactly. It doesn’t take that long if you run.” The older boy explained.

“Do you actually run all the way to my house?” He asked, lowering his eyebrows. For a moment, the other teenager paused and bit his lip.

“Sometimes. Maybe.” He nodded awkwardly. “Let’s just say I know a special way of running.”

“Special way of run—ning?!” Isaac grabbed his wrist and literally dragged the brunette towards a set of stairs.

“We’re here!” He smiled at the other boy laying on the dry grass.

“Is that your ‘special’ way of running?” Max questioned with an unamused expression.

“Nope.” He said, lifting up the younger teenager to his feet. Soon enough, they were ascending up the old, stone staircase. Stopping at the door, Max noticed the warm in the other boy’s face. Blood was rushing through his pale skin, from running. Despite the lack of exercise, the taller teenager felt some sort of warmth in his blood as well. While Isaac was opening the door, the brunette realized that the ginger still had a hand holding onto his wrist. Carefully, he pulled away from him as the door was pushed open.

“Sheesh, how much dust is in here?” Max sniffed the air, pulling up the collar of his jacket.

“That’s just this part of the lighthouse.” Isaac explained.

“Lighthouse— what’s that supposed to mean?” He bumped into the corner of the table.

“Young master Isaac! ...Did you bring someone over to this house?” A voice echoed from a nearby room.

“Uh… yeah…” The older teenager said. Despite being in total darkness, there was an awkward smile spread across his face.

“You know that this lighthouse isn’t a tourist attraction, Isaac. I’m afraid that he will have to leave.” The voice said.

“Yeah, I’m going to listen to that voice because I’m having second thoughts about this place.” The brunette spoke up, but he went ignored.

“No, Doorman— It’s not like that. He’s a new neighbor and I just wanted to show him where I live, you know.” Isaac protested while a sigh came from the closed door. “It... just gets lonely here.”

“I suppose... that this can be an exception.” Doorman said. “Just as long as we don’t get anymore surprise guests.”

“Wait? Are you really okay with this?” He said in a chirpy voice. “Thank you!”

“Yes, however, I advise the both of you to not play around in this room or the study room.” He said in a careful voice. “This lighthouse isn’t exactly ready for visitors.”

“Doorman, we’re both teenagers.” Isaac groaned, rolling his eyes. He began to usher the brunette towards the spiral staircase. “We aren’t going to ‘play around’ or anything.”

“Haha, I get it.” He chuckled, only for the ginger to sigh in annoyance. “Please be sure to not mess with anything you may find here.”  

“Wouldn’t dream of it—” Max said, but he was quickly pushed into another room before any further conversation. The door shut behind the older teenager, who was still re in the face. Whether it was from running or embarrassment, he was relieved to be in this room and collapsed at the doorway.

“That’s was Doorman. He lives here.” Isaac said while getting up. “...And this is my room.”

“Is he like your dad or something?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, uh… no.”

“Guardian?”

“Kinda.” He shrugged and waved a hand at him. “But that’s not really important right now. Here, I’ll get the lights.”

For a moment, the brunette sat on the floor. The room was just as dark as the main room. There wasn’t a single window in sight. He sat on a plush carpet, but his hands felt the cold, wooden floor to the side. One by one, a few white, twinkling lights lit up along the walls. He could now see the other boy walking towards a table lamp. Flicking the switch, the room was filled with a blue tinted light.

“Fancy lighting for someone who lives in the middle of nowhere.” Max commented, looking around the room. Now, he could see everything in the room. It was in a curved shape. The walls were plaster, unlike the wooden floor. It wasn’t a large room, but it was definitely cozy. There were only a few pieces of furniture. A basic bed, an old chest, a weathered wardrobe, and a wooden desk with a chair that was peeling off paint. Not to mention, but there was a system of Christmas lights all over the walls and ceiling.

“Cool, huh? I did it myself.” Isaac plopped right onto his bed. He motioned to the chair. “You can sit on a chair if you want to.”

“Nah, I’d rather sit on the floor. It’s alright here.” The younger boy laid back on the carpet. There was a moment of silence between them. But Max broke the ice first. “So… Is this the thing that you wanted to show me? An old lighthouse that you’re living at? I don’t know if it’s going to have a hundred percent chance of keeping me sane.”

The older teenager fidgeted with his fingers. He said,“I guess shoving you into my room isn’t that exciting. But I was didn’t really want to get into an awkward conversation with— Nevermind, let’s go up to the lightroom!”

“Lightroom?” Max lowered an eyebrow at him.

“It’s what I wanted to show you! C’mon!” Isaac jumped out of bed to turn off the lamp and fairy lights. He opened up the door, going outside first. “Watch your step with the stairs.”

“Does it look like I want to fall into the darkness, where death awaits me?” Max said in a sour tone of voice. He stepped outside to see a hole with a spiraling staircase in the center. It was dark towards the bottom, but a white light descended from the higher part of the stairs.

“Why are you like this?” Isaac fumed, staring at the other teenager.

“Because I live in a normal, one-story house with windows.” He said, following the older teenager up the stairs. “There aren’t be any stairs to cause a devastating tragedy.”

“Just to let you know, I haven’t had any injuries from these set of stairs so far.” The ginger huffed, earning a silent chuckle from the other boy.

After a few more floors, the rooms became brighter. It was easier to see as they walked up towards the end of the stairs. At the top floor, the wood was bleach with the light coming from the white blanket of clouds. In the center of the room, there was a glass orb with an old filament inside. The circle of windows took three-quarters of the walls’ height. It seemed to be the tidiest and airy part of the lighthouse. The ceiling slanted with the windows and pointed to the center.

Slowly, Max walked in a circle around the lightroom. Studying the room's architecture, his mind wandered elsewhere. It was a roomy place, and there was something that put him at ease. His eyes were distracted by the condition and feeling at the top level of the lighthouse.

The trapdoor was closed shut. Isaac got up from the floor and joined Max at the windows. They gazed out into the sunless scenery. The milky clouds were stretched across the coast, and the grass was still.

“Does that light still work?” Max questioned, turning around to point at the giant glass sphere.

“Unfortunately, no.” He shook his head, shrugging. “The lighthouse was too small and built too far inland, so it was kinda abandoned. There’s another lighthouse that’s built near the rocks and it’s where visitors go.”

“Have you or Doorman tried to… light it up?” The brunette asked.

“Eh… I try to do it sometimes— I mean, I help Doorman a few times...” He trailed off, walking away from the lightbulb. He sat on the floor, tucking in his legs. “But there’s no point of lighting it up.”

“Okay, then.” The taller teenager took a seat next to him. “Anything else you feel like doing?”

“About that…” Isaac flashed a nervous smile at him, teeth showing. “Most of it will involve going to the ocean.”

“How wonderful.” He said with sarcasm. “Making friends with local fishes.”

“C’mon Max! There’s more to the ocean than that!” Isaac argued. “You should give the ocean the chance.”

“There’s sand everywhere and I’m not a swimmer.”

“Wait. You don’t know how to swim?” Isaac asked, looking at the other boy with confused eyes.

It took a moment before Max looked at him. He tucked his cap downwards. He said, “I know what I lived in the south coast and all, but I just didn’t really learn how to do that sort of thing. Plus, I rarely went to the beach.”

“Well, that’s okay.” Isaac smiled, placing a hand on his knee. “I could teach you how. And maybe that won’t make you feel so bored about this place. But— that’s only if you want to. There are other places to—”

“Meh, I’ll try…” Max shrugged, looking from the corner of his eyes. He saw an even brighter smile coming from the older teenager. “But I would rather have a schedule of swimming one day and staying inland the next day.”

“Yes!” He exclaimed. “After teaching you how to swim, maybe we can visit the beach—”

The younger teenager pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed, “I’m going to just ruin the mood. I suggest you don’t get too ahead of yourself. I’m still not a beach-loving, sunshine person.”

Isaac somewhat calmed down, but he was still smiling. After a while, he returned to a normal expression and looked at the brunette. The lightroom was still and quiet. It seemed as if time somehow stopped and there was a moment of silence between them.

“Hey Max…”

“Yeah?”

“Why was there cough drops in the orange juice your dad was drinking?”

“Oh boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all of you know that isaac ninja runs don't deny it 
> 
> it's time for me to work on my izjo story ;-; i feel bad that i made a chapter for this instead of doing my update order but i was planning for this to be written and yeah....


End file.
